Tuesday Morning Commute - Tweed

Good morning

• So much about the Tweed ride. From sounds of Erik Kugler of BicycleSpace [Is that guy ever in the store? I see him everywhere. There must be twins like in "The Prestige".] encouraging people to ring bells, to an interview or two with founder Eric Brewer, to participants discussing the fashion and getting back on the bike.  And there are all the photos. 
• More CaBi station expansions. At Lincoln Park, 21st and I NW, and C&O Canal and Wisconsin Ave. 
• "Alta has to find a corporate sponsor to bankroll $50 million dollars in start-up costs, in exchange for naming rights or ads on the bikes. Once the funding is secured, Alta expects to hire more than 200 people in New York to set up and maintain the system."
• Metrolink's bike car. Hard to miss it.
• As part of the super-committee negotiations "Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) have gone on morning bike rides together"
• I'm not sure we need a bicycle speed limit, but I'm sure it shouldn't be 8 mph.
• An impromptu fact-finding ride of London's 10 most dangerous intersections for cyclists became a Tour du Danger with hundreds along for the ride.
• Dr. Bikelock Bonus: "drivers have the expectation that bikes aren't allowe [sic] on the main roadway, yet there they are..." This would only be true if drivers actually paid attention to the signs on the road. Besides, you'll find all kinds of things in the road that aren't supposed to be there, that's why you need to be attentive and driving at a safe speed. 

Comments

[darren]

The world would be a better place with two Erik Kuglers. I helped lead the ride with Erik, and while riding down P St Sw, I was grousing a bit about the route through SW; specifically, going up 1st St Sw to M st, rather than going around the Ballpark. A block after we made the turn onto 1st, dozens of kids came running towards us from the Hoover playground, cheering at the odd spectacle of hundreds of bicyclists, we got one kid on a bike to ride with us for a couple of blocks. "That's why we chose 1st", said Erik.

[Purple Eagle]

I hope nobody would seriously consider an 8mph speed limit for bikes. That's running pace for me . . can't imagine biking that slow.

[Ross Patterson]

From Dr. Gridlock's column linked above:

"We need enforcement of the rules, or some people will lose respect for those particular rules and others. But I think it's unrealistic to expect we'll see the rules enforced at all times in all situations."

Oh. My. Goodness. Some people will lose respect for The Rules? I'm shocked! Shocked! To learn that people have been exceeding speed limits on public roads! Round up the usual suspects!

[NeilB]

Not only does Metrolink have dedicated bike cars, but they have weekend service (to the beach, no less). We should be so lucky.

[JMarcusse]

I looked into the Boulder speed limit thing, and it's not as bad as it sounds. The 8 mph limit only applies when riding across a crosswalk, not throughout the roads. Of course, cars are still welcome to drive through crosswalks at 25, or whatever the speed limit is.

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19319737

[darren]

Ick -- crosswalk speed limit intended to codify the validity of the "i didn't see that bike come flying into the intersection" excuse, already used effectively here in Arlington at the Lee/Lynn Rosslyn intersection without the need for legislation.

And mandatory crosswalk button-pushing too. What a treat.

[I forgot]

Real cyclists don't ride on sidewalks.

@JMarcusse: The speed limit applies riding through (ie. along) the crosswalk, not across it. Drivers shouldn't be driving through the crosswalk.

@darren: Lee/Lynn is an abomination of design. That's what you get when you trail is a glorified sidewalk.

[Michael H.]

ALERT: Capital BIXI bike share closes for the season today. Oh wait, that's in Ottawa, Canada.

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2011/11/15/capital-bixi-bike-share-ends-today/

Fortunately our own Capital Bikeshare continues on, through rain, snow, sleet and wind.

I've wondered whether those northern cities like Montreal, Ottawa and Minneapolis shouldn't set up some sort of cross-country ski share system in the winter. Maybe have a large vending machine where you can rent and return cross-country skis. I guess you would need to bring your own boots, since the machine wouldn't be able to stock boots of all sizes. Sizing for the skis could be an issue too.

At least we don't have to worry about that down here. I'll still be riding CaBi bikes in January.

[oboe]

@I forgot:

...but also what you get when a culture legitimizes driving over all other modes. Did someone in a car run you down while you were crossing in the crosswalk with the crosswalk signal? You might ask, "Shouldn't cars have to obey the giant 'Yield to bikes in the crosswalk' sign?" but lets turn it around and ask why *you* failed to obey the half-effaced paint chips on the sidewalk that once spelled out "STOP".

[JMarcusse]

@I forgot: Oops, you are right. Good catch. Now I don't find the bike-specific part of the bill that egregious, just unnecessary and unlikely to be enforced.

[I forgot]

Cycling on the sidewalk delegitimizes cycling as a mode of transportation. Riding on the sidewalk and advocating cycling facilities that are glorified sidewalks causes unexpected interactions between cyclists and drivers.

Of course drivers should yield to pedestrians and cyclists in sidewalks. I think stop signs and dismount signs on the trail are pointless. That said, ride defensively.

Unlike many readers of this forum, I actually believe drivers when they say they don't see cyclists, particularly when they are moving fast across sidewalks. I don't think many drivers are out there with the intention of running us over.

You ask whether I have been run down while crossing a sidewalk. The answer is no. I will not put myself in that situation. I choose to ride in the streets in Rosslyn rather than ride down the Custis trail, which I view as inherently more dangerous.

[antibozo]

I'm glad I already saw "The Prestige". Others just had it spoiled for them...

[washcycle]

It's been out like 3 years.

On that subject...Darth Vader is also Luke's father. Rosebud is a sled. The psychiatrist is a ghost. The astronaut was on Earth the whole time. The lady is actually a dude. The comic book store owner caused the train crash. In the end, the townspeople burn the cop. Their whole world is really just a computer program. The limo driver is just one part of his fractured psyche and the little boy is the serial killer. His best friend is imaginary. His wife was the killer and she framed him so he would cover up the crime. There's an ice pick under the bed. Her client has been sending her the notes on the crazy typewriter.

[antibozo]

All of those are at least ten years old, and most of them aren't anywhere near as good as "The Prestige".

[oboe]

Unlike many readers of this forum, I actually believe drivers when they say they don't see cyclists, particularly when they are moving fast across sidewalks. I don't think many drivers are out there with the intention of running us over.

Sorry, "you" was supposed to be the "anonymous you", not "you" you.

Drivers aren't out there with the intention of running over us, but the larger culture provides every incentive for drivers to not exercise caution, blame cyclists when there's a collision, and go berserk when they're inconvenienced even slightly.

So, yes, the cultural and built environment is to blame, but individual drivers don't have to drive carelessly.

[Michael H.]

I've encountered two car drivers over the past week who were on the line between aggressive driving and criminal acts. In both cases, I was walking in a crosswalk with the WALK signal and I started when the road was clear.

In one case, the oncoming driver came barreling through the intersection to make a sharp left turn, heading directly into the crosswalk and me. He halted less than a foot from me. Instead of pausing, he simply steered a couple inches to his right and kept right on going! I was already halfway through the crosswalk before he came through. He saw me and yet he still kept going at too fast of a speed.

Then yesterday I was walking in a different crosswalk. Another driver barrels through the intersection and makes a left turn, into my path. He narrowly misses me, and then he continues on his way, going the wrong direction on that lane!

I'd like to say that these are isolated incidents, but I notice this sort of behavior almost every day that I walk through a busy intersection, in D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Most drivers do try to avoid accidents, but there is a significant minority of drivers who think that every pedestrian and cyclist has to get out of their way, no matter what the lights or the signs say.

[I forgot]

I agree that a lot of drivers suck. The problem is that I can't do anything to control their behavior. I can only control my own, well sort of.

[Crickey7]

I think a lot of drivers have an inflated sense of how well they can control their vehicle. Hence all those who call for speed limits to be set at the speed at which a certain percentage of drivers feel comfortable. For my 16-year-old child, that speed is usually the speed limit plus 20 mph.